Fox Picks Up Offbeat `Tv Nation'

This nine-episode adventure in radical TV journalism will air Fridays, preceding The X-Files, from July 21 through mid-September.

Moore (Roger and Me) takes an irreverent look at current events and lifestyles, often mixing satire with a large dose of skepticism.

Each week will have a theme. On "Payback Night," for example, Moore's team will set off 10 car alarms at night outside the bedroom of a CEO from a car-alarm company. In a weekly segment, Crackers the Corporate Crime-Fighting Chicken will "apprehend actual corporate wrongdoers."

Noting that Mississippi finally ratified the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery, TV Nation will visit on the last day to buy slaves.

Joining Moore this year will be several newcomers, including Janeane Garofalo (The Larry Sanders Show, Reality Bites) and comedian Steven Wright. They will be special guest correspondents.

In other Fox announcements, the first-year sci-fi series Sliders, originally on the list of canceled shows, will come back as a midseason replacement next year. Sliders premiered March 22 and aired through May 17. It has returned to Fox for summer repeats on Sundays.

And speaking of returns on Fox, how about The Great Defender? This show aired just once, on March 5 against 60 Minutes. Fox immediately pulled it.

The Great Defender returns to Fox starting Monday. The one-hour drama starring Michael Rispoli focuses on a street-smart attorney recruited by a prestigious Boston law firm.

`Eyewitness' coming back

PBS has announced it will bring back the nature series Eyewitness for a second season in 1996.

The visually arresting show drew strong audiences for public stations during its first 13-week run earlier this year.

Next year Eyewitness will broaden its focus to include habitats (seashore, Antarctica, etc.) and natural phenomena (volcanoes, weather, etc.).

For 1997, PBS is promising Living Europe, a natural history series on the variety of European landscapes and inhabitants, and Wild Islands, exploring the nature of tropical islands.

Ullman to take on HBO

Great news for lovers of high-quality sketch comedy. Emmy winner Tracey Ullman will return to HBO next year in a new 10-part, half-hour comedy series.

Called Tracey Takes on ..., the show will feature the supremely talented Ullman in multiple roles, including several from her 1993 HBO specials, Tracey Ullman: A Class Act and Tracey Ullman: Takes on New York.

Among those making appearances will be Julie Kavner (the voice of Marge on The Simpsons and a cast member on Ullman's 1987-90 show on Fox) and Michael Tucker (L.A. Law).

Each episode will be devoted to a single topic that is explored in sketches and character monologues.

Sub gets a new skipper

Recurring ER star Michael Ironside has been named the new submarine captain on NBC's underwater sci-fi series, seaQuest DSV, which begins shooting its third season this month at Universal Studios in Florida.

Roy Scheider, whose Nathan Bridger has helmed the craft the past two seasons, now is expected to become a recurring character.

Both NBC and Scheider's publicist say everyone's happy with the new arrangement.

In September, Scheider was quoted as saying he was "ashamed" of the show's second season, which he called "total, total childish trash.

"He said he tried to get out of doing another season, but wasn't able to do so.

NBC maintains the incident was overblown in the press.

This past season, Ironside portrayed Dr. William Swift on the hit freshman medical drama. The Canadian actor has also appeared in the films Free Willy, Highlander II and Total Recall.